Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Getting an awesome idea is just awesome but executing it and getting results, needs attention and work.I'm differently better at getting ideas than executing them so it is important for me to go through a whole process so I know that I will be able to execute the idea as well as possible. In this post I will go through the seven step process I put together for myself.1. Getting the ideaI usually get my ideas at strange moments and strange places but sometimes it also happens in a normal environment, like in the middle of a conversation or when I'm particularly trying to find an idea. Sometimes I will even dream them.Ideas are different and they can be too early. They get categorized as: saving for later, execution right away, giving it away and in the trash.2. ExcitementGetting a great idea is amazing and I get really excited. I work, walk, eat and sleep thinking about the idea. I will be forming it in my mind and as I find something unique about it I will write it down. This will probably take a week or so, depending on how complicated the idea is.3. TestingIt's important to test all ideas otherwise you can loose a lot of valuable time and money. First I will start bouncing the idea off my family and friends. Then I will do some research and find out if it already exist or if it needs some modifications, then I will do it.After I have the idea in place I will ask the potential customer about their thoughts and critic of it. It usually gives a new perspective and helps form the product.4. Evaluating To evaluate I will use the Business model Canvas. See if it looks like it could be something.

If the idea passes I will try to make it as unique as possible and find the so called Blue Ocean, otherwise I will throw it in the trash. - Here it is very important to listen to your gut too. Learn to trust it because reaching your goals is not only hard work but your gut has to be with you too. May sound strange but if it doesn't feel right, you wont be able to give 100%.5. Working on itThis is were I will work on getting all the necessary agreements in place, the different key partners involved and prepare everything necessary to launch the product. This process doesn't always go as planned. It can take extra time than expected and that is all right. Everything doesn't always go as you plan.6. ExecutionJust let i go. Even if it isn't perfect. Even if it's not all done yet. Don't wait for perfecting the product because when it hits the water you might have to change some things about it. If you keep waiting for the product to be ready, you will never be ready.Don't put all your energy in one blow. Test the water little by little and then when you have done the necessary modification you can let the ship go. Normally I will go through step four, five and six a couple of times to get the best result.7. Getting resultsWhen the product is done and ready you can for example use Google Analytics to get an overview of your results. If you have launched similar products before, you can compare the results and see what you did better or worse. By doing that you can better your next product launch.- Hafsa
P.S. Be the first to receive my most important news from my entrepreneurial journey, subscribe to my newsletter.

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Læs den danske version her: Forretningsplanen med de ni blokke.I have myself been in the situation where I had to write a 20 page business plan otherwise my bank wouldn't open a business account for me. So I had to use my vacation from school on writing a 20 pages long business plan.I got my bank account but the thing is, as soon as the bank account was opened there were already changes in my business plan. So it went straight into the trash. - I didn't want to waste my time on writing a new one thinking I knew exactly what I was going to do with my company, so I left it alone and focused on getting my online store ready for sales.

Using the Business model Canvas

Business Model CanvasI don't remember exactly when but I guess it was the next semester, one of my professors told me to check out a model called Business model Canvas. At first I was very hesitant because he is my economics professor and for me economics is an important subject but it's differently not my strong suit. So I kind of though that the model would be like economics.It is not. Trust me.The model Business Canvas is a great tool to get a good picture of how the company's different processes work together. It can be used as a goal, as the company is now and for the different ideas that the company chooses to evaluate or carry out.It is divided up in nine different blocks and is easy for the different departments to understand the whole picture and so to say, speak the same language.Down under you can watch the short two minutes video about how to use the model.

As explained in the video it is quite simple but using it and understanding it, has been a great progress in understanding and developing my own business. When you really get into it, you will be amazed how much you can actually learn from it.Check it out before it's too late.- HafsaP.S. If you don't want daily updates from my entrepreneurial journey, then don't follow me on my new Faceebook-page Entrepreneur: Hafsa Farooq.

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

My mother just graduated or as we say in Danish "Hun har lige fået hue". It has actually almost been a month now. - And believe me it has not been easy for her but she made it by working hard.This got me thinking... Since my parents moved here right after they got married, they have both been working really hard. It's not like they weren't educated when they came to Denmark but they just couldn't use their educations in Denmark. - Yes, it is as stupid as it sounds.

They both went to school to learn Danish and a little more but they still couldn't use their educations they had from Pakistan. They literately had to start over.

Then they had me, so my parents had to start work. - Today my mother works in a kindergarten and my father is a taxi owner.They are my motivation.They showed my siblings and I that hard work pays off.How I can see it pays off is not only the materialistic things but also in our upbringing. They have though us that not only education, helping others, appriciate what you have, always show kindness is all important, but having motivation to do your best at whatever you do, is your driver.My parents motivation, are us. My siblings and I. - And they have literally done everything they could do to be where they are today. Giving that one percent extra everyday, being great parents and always do whatever has been best for us, no matter who they had to stand against. - And still, what my parents has done is nothing compared to what my grandfather has done for his family, friends, siblings, my grandmothers family and more.That kind of motivation that drives them is what I want to drive me.My motivation is to make a difference and I just started. - I am nowhere near what my grandfather and my parents have accomplished but with their support I am here today and I plan to work as hard as I can to make a difference.Ask yourselfDo you need to reach a goal but are stuck? Then try to think about the following questions for a second.

Why are you here?

How did you get here?

Who helped you?

Now think about this.

What do you want to do?

How will you get there?

If you have answered the questions. Just keep going, until you reach your goals.Importance of motivationBeing an entrepreneur I know how important it is to keep motivating yourself and how hard it can be sometimes. Either you give up or stay motivated, never compromise. - HafsaFor more motivation, follow my Instagram @HafsafarooqX2

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

Thursday, October 08, 2015

Planing is essential for an effective workflow. Time is changing and technology is becoming a bigger part of our lives. We have so many distractions that we are becoming more stressed. Some are even getting depressed because they can't keep up.I have been there myself. - I started to forget, lost concentration after 10-15 minutes, got ill all the time, got upset over the smallest things, a little depressed and so on. - Why? Well... I'm what you call a student entrepreneur, meaning I'm also studying on the side. I actually founded my company in the middle of my second semester and now I'm on my last and seventh semester.I believe it was my fifth semester I went to my doctor with my symptoms and she said I had stress. I was already using a schedule I made for my self but it was only possible to plan on short term. I was getting stressed because my schedule was always staring me right in my face, with all the things I had to do and I couldn't do all of them.Since then I have researched and tested a lot more and have come up with a perfect combination of three different tools. - The first two are free and the third is very cheap. You probably already own a stack.1. Trello

Click on picture to enlarge

It's so simple and easy to use. You can use it for everything like teamwork, dinner, vacation, personal things and so on.You list your task under the cards: To do - Doing - Done - or make others. You can click on each task and you will see a popup like the picture on the right. Just customize it as you need to. Using a checklist, you can divide the task into smaller tasks. When you do the smaller tasks and check them off, you won't feel stuck as you might do, when not dividing your tasks up.Trello also have apps for Apple and Android.I use Trello for managing as well as smaller and bigger projects. It's also easy to add other people if needed. - Click here to sign up for Trello.2. Google Calendar

A very easy and simple tool. I use it every single day. If you click on the picture to the right, you will see my schedule for this week.I use different colors for my activities:

Green is for education

Blue: work

Light blue: background work

Yellow: private

Purple is them all mixed

The faded colors are over with.

You can set it up for endless repeats or set a date for it to stop. Set it to repeat a certain event on fixed days or dates. You can invite others to your calendar and have many different schedules. - Sign up for Google Calendar here.You can also get apps for Apple and Android.3. Sticky notesYes! Sticky notes, they are awesome! They are cheap and you can use as many as you want. Take one daily, write down what you have to do in the morning before starting work. As you work trough the list and cross off the different tasks, you get some kind of satisfaction and get more motivated to do more work.Tip1. Put your phone on night mode so you wont get disturbed when working.2. If you work in an office where you get disturbed a lot you can reinforce a sticker policy. If you have a green sticker on your screen it is alright to get disturbed, if you have a red sticker, then you are not to be disturbed.Follow me on Instagram for motivational quotes: @hafsafarooqx2

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Is your web store user friendly? Is your design nice to look at? - Does it make your customers want to buy or does it scare them away? Is it easy or a whole maze they have to go trough?The questions above are critical for every web store owner to ask.It doesn't matter if your target-market is B2B, B2C or B2G. - Usability and design means a lot! If you don't care you can just stop reading... and continue to loose customers.

Of course there are different levels of usability in the different markets but my focus is on the B2C-market because I have most experience on this.DesignI see so many web shops, big and small - they have really old designs and look really cheap. Some are even filled with advertisements from other stores. These web shops are creating a great uncertainty with the customer and are therefore sending the customers away.Why do you have a web shop if you don't want to put down €600 - €2,000 to get a better design for higher conversion? It is not even that much money.It's like walking into a store and immediately tripping over something because there is stuff all over the place... and right after finding products that don't belong in the store.UsabilitySo many web shops are centuries behind on usability. Have you ever tried to make an test-order trough your web shop? - Here are some questions you should ask yourself: Is it easy to navigate in? How many steps are there before and order is placed? Is the process complicated? Is it easy to put things in the basket? Can others do what you can in your web shop?It is really good to use people from the outside to try the website and then get feedback from them, on what works and what doesn't.One-page-checkout... is just genius. From the basket-list, the customer clicks on the checkout button and has to fill out her information, fill in payment method information, choose shipping and complete the order. - Everything gathered on one page.Why would you want your customer to click 4/5 times more? And it's not like there is much on the pages, when you use the regular check-out process. - It's just a waste of your customers time.Credit cardsBe sure to accept all credit cards. Yes, it is a bit expensive but you wont loose so many customers. - Look at it like this: A customer has filled up her basket and she is now at the checkout-page. She just has to pay but you don't accept her credit card. - You just lost a customer more.In my webshop, most cutomers pay with dankort, which is the danish credit card. A small percent of the customers pay with American Express. Guess what? The orders paid by American Express are the biggest. - It's one of the most important things to have in a web shop.AdvertisementsAdvertisements from other web shops or the like is absolutely a no-go in a web shop! First thing is that it looks really ugly and two, you will be sending customers away. Yes, the one who was just about to buy something or register to your newsletter. That customer will you be sending to another shop and don't think she will be back. She wont.
For motivational quotes you can follow me on Instagram @HafsafarooqX2

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Do you sleep enough or are you always tired? This is a
very important question to ask yourself. Many forget how important sleep really
is. New entrepreneurs are especially in severe sleep deprivation. In periods I
have been sleeping when others were at work. I have been sleeping too little,
too much and not at all. The last one resulted in nosebleeds and a sleeping
time on 15-17 hours because of my brain getting way too stressed.

You may think that was pretty stupid of me, but do you not know the feeling of
when you are so passionate about something that you just have to do? All the ideas are there right now. If you
sleep, you will forget everything! It has to be now! I need to finish! Your brain is under high pressure. And you just need to do one more thing…

Notebook

Sleep
on time and wakeup on time

For that there is a very good solution. You just need a
small notebook beside your bed. In that way every time you get an idea before
bed or after waking up, you can write it down, so you will not forget the idea.
In that way you will be able to relax more and let go of things.

Caffeine
Stop excessive consumption of coffee and energy drinks. It is alright to drink
it occasionally but replacing or partly replacing sleep with caffeine is just wrong. Stop it! Adults sleeping hours
Do you know how many hours you are supposed to sleep a day? It is not six hours…
it is actually seven to eight hours. If you are a teenager you are supposed to
sleep nine hours a day. If you would like to know how harmful it is for your
body to have sleep deprivation, read Chris MacDonalds article, on sleep.

And no, it is not just
another article. I tested this on myself. Six hours are just
not enough, seven hours are not enough either and eight hours are too much. I
have to sleep seven and a half hours before I can function. If I am very tiered
after a busy day I will just take a power nap.

Power naps

Power naps also called ”a grandfather” in Danish, is
just genius. Power naps are not just taken by small children but also by
successful adults. Down under you will find three types of power naps:

15-30
minutes: If you just need a small boost, this one is really good.

45-60
minutes: This one reboots your memory.

One
hour and 15 minutes - One hour and a half hour: Rebooting
creativity, memory and feelings.

It it different for each person how long we each need.
In my case I need: 17 minutes, 50 minutes and one hour and 15 minutes.

Remember to put your mobile far away and set a timer
on. This way you will not oversleep or just check another mail. ;-)

Sleeping times

It is important to put down a fixed sleeping pattern.
What time you should sleep and what time you should wake up. Are you going to
do something that you do not usually do you can only move your sleeping hours
one hour and no more! It takes a person’s body two whole weeks to get used to a
routine. So if you change your sleeping pattern on the 15th day it
will not be so smart, will it?

Alarm clock

Once you get used to your sleeping pattern, you can stop
using the alarm clock or just set it to ring 15 or 30 minutes after you are
supposed to wake up. When your body has gotten used to your sleeping pattern,
you will wake up on you own. It is better to wake up on your own than to be
woken up by you alarm clock, as the ringing interrupts your sleep.

Some more advices

Ever wondered why you cannot fall asleep when you are
trying?

Put
your mobile and other electronics away an hour before bedtime.

Dim all
the lights an hour before bedtime.

Do not
be hungry, I know I cannot fall asleep if I am hungry.

Your
bed is for sleeping only, do not use it as your workplace.

Remember to sleep on time and take a power nap! ;-)

Are you on Google+? If so, you can connect with me
here: Hafsa Farooq.

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

Read the Danish version here: Hvis du ikke er på LinkedIn, skal du på nu!The title says the most of it but down below I will
explain why you should use LinkedIn and give you some good advice, which you
can get very far with. ;-)

Me, without LinkedIn

Before I made a profile on LinkedIn, I thought I did
not need it. I said to myself “I already have Facebook and a mobile. Why do I need
LinkedIn?” Until the day that I needed a person whom I could not get in contact
with. If I just had a LinkedIn profile at that time, I would have found that
person before it was too late.
So I created a profile on LinkedIn. One should not make the same mistake again,
right?

Visibility

Build
up your business network with LinkedIn

Yes, LinkedIn is another social medium but your
LinkedIn profile is not as difficult to maintain. I myself only log on a couple
of times a week. I Share an article I have found or my own blog post. I like
five to ten posts and write a quick comment. In that way your connections will remember you and people you do not know will check out your profile. I
typically get somewhere between two and five new invitations a week, just by
doing that.

Remember, if someone comments on your post it is
important to answer back. People are generally not that active on LinkedIn, so
if you just do a little extra, you can get a lot out of it.

Be Professional

I see this mistake over and over again. People think that
LinkedIn is Facebook. No, LinkedIn is not a place for boyfriend troubles, wars,
your bad day, strong religious beliefs, dating and other things which either are or
can quickly turn into something negative. Would you in real life talk to a
possible business partner about how your ex-boyfriend treated you, no right? Keep
that on Facebook and other social media where you have people who care about
you. The person who takes their profile just a little serious deletes the connections
that focus on above negativity.

Fill out your profile

Your LinkedIn profile is your online resume and it is
not even as hard to maintain as people think.

The
profile’s language: It is very important to choose if you
just want English or in English and your native language. You have to
remember that LinkedIn is an international medium and by only writing in
your native language your profile will not be very attractive.

Education: Whether
you are a craftsman or a CEO, your education is an important part of your
profile. Briefly write what classes you have taken. It gives others a
sense of where you are on a theoretical level or just a confirmation of
who you are.Subjects and courses you
have taken should of course also be on there. It may be that you are not
educated in that particular sector but you have taken a lot of courses or
just single classes, which also belongs under education.

Jobs: A
resume without job experience, no… just no. Write each job down and give a
brief explanation of what you did or do there. Do not write too much then
people do not bother to read it at all.

Follow: By
following opinion makers and companies you will give your connections
better pictures of what kind of people and companies you find interesting.
At the same time, you can stay up to date with your favorite business
persons and companies.

Groups: Join
different groups which are interesting for you. For example if you are bad
at SEO you can join SEO groups and thereby learn more about that. It is
also a really good way to get more connections.

Languages: Choose
all the languages that you can. It does not matter if you can talk them
fluently or just a couple of words because you can choose different levels. For example in my profile it says that Danish is my native
language, while I speak Japanese at a elementary level. When you know a
language a little it is easy to learn if you for example need it for the
next job.

Skills: You can
have 50 skills in total. This means that you can show whole 50 skills that
you are good at. Additionally you can get others to recognize those skills,
which makes your profile more trustworthy.

Profile change message

Turn if off! I just do not understand why LinkedIn has made this feature. It is annoying
and unnecessary. Why should it be interesting for all my LinkedIn connections
to know when I make the slightest change in my profile? I do not know…

You can easily turn it off by following the path: Edit
profile > Right side, the box at the bottom > No.

500+ connections

LinkedIn only counts your connections up to 500.
Anything over 500 will be shown as 500+. By having 500 connections it will show
that you are engaged in your profile and have used your time wisely. And who
does not loved engaged people? ;-)

Try reading this… I have 580 connections on LinkedIn,
which gives me access to 18,100,000 professionals. Yes, 18.1 million! I wonder if it just gives me a few opportunities.

Your connections

Now, if I need a SEO expert and do a search on
LinkedIn, the results will show me multiple profiles. They will be
divided into:

3rd
degree (your connections connections connection): The contacts you have on
LinkedIn, these are their contacts’ contacts.

Group
members: All the groups that you have joined have members and all those
members, you can contact directly.

Outside
your network: These are the persons whom you can contact if you have their
contact information or you are paying for a premium account on LinkedIn.

Use your network

Now you have a large network and what should you use
it for? Let us take some examples. First: You are looking for a particular job.
You find a person whom you get to know a little and you ask him to put in a
good word for you. Second: Maybe you want to sell a product on B2B-market so
you can find customers on LinkedIn. Third: You are looking for a new employee
and will find a better match through LinkedIn. You get the point, right? :-)

Profile picture

No, not your profile picture on Facebook, Instagram or
Twitter. It has to be a professional picture, preferably a picture for the purpose
of using it on LinkedIn. You will find “a few” advices for your profile
picture.

First
and foremost the picture has to be of you!

You are smiling, so you do not
scare people. You can show your teeth.

Get
your whole face, so people can recognize you.

Do not
look away from your profiles text as it expresses uncertainty.

Do not
show us your new weekend outfit, we do not really care. Do not show more
than your shoulders.

Save
your selfies for Facebook.

No pets!

No cigarettes in your mouth or
anything like that.

No piercings.

If you click into my LinkedIn profile you will see that I use the same
profile picture on all the social media which I am on. It is simply because I
would like you guys to be able to recognize my profiles.

Last but not least, it is a great idea to keep your
profile updated. You never know when you might need it.

If you follow these tips, you should be pretty good going on
LinkedIn. Do you want to be my contact on LinkedIn? You can just add me here: Hafsa Farooq.

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

It has been important for X2Nailsto have the
best customer service, almost from the start. In the beginning we made a lot of mistakes regarding customer service, but gradually we have
improved it a lot. In the last time, when a customer has been in contact with
X2Nails costumer service, the customer always praises us.

Know your customers needs
I do a lot of online shopping, which I have done in many years. It has given me
a good understanding for what good customer service is.

When I shop online, there have been times where I have
though “How can I implement this at X2Nails?” other times I have thought “I am never
coming back here again.”

Very often you have to “be” the customer. Ask
questions as “How would I react if the company said that to me?”, “How would I
want this problem solved?”, “Would I like it if someone said that to me?” and
so on.

If you are not good at thinking like the customer, you
should know someone who is.

Availability

The
best customer service at X2Nails

Make it as easy for the customer to reach customer
service. Place contact information, contact box, chats and the
like, where the customer looks. I really hate the web shops where you have to
click a number of times just to find their mail. If it is not on the site I am
on, I always get so annoyed that I leave the website. The contact information
should at least be in the bottom frame and as a link in the header.

Q&A site

A question and answer site is as gold. Many customers
have the same questions and they almost always looks for a Q&A site, before
they choose to contact the company. It should always be easy to find and remember to update it regularly.

Be fast

If a customer contacts you, you have to get to work
immediately. The customer is first priority! You probably think that
your time is worth more, but if you want the customer to make a purchase in
your web shop, you must help her immediately. Your customer is busy so you have
to be ready, otherwise she can easily find other alternatives.

I have a really good example from X2Nails. I woke up a
little late in the weekend because I was feeling a little sick. I was eating breakfast when I
got a mail from a customer. The evening before, she had ordered some products
including a nail polish, which she wanted to exchange for another nail polish.
In approximately 25 minutes I had done all the work and answered her back. She
was so happy that she wrote a fantastic review and began to follow X2Nails on Instagram and Facebook. You can read the review here.

Send guides

If there are products that the customers have many
questions about, then make easy guides for them. Put them on the
product sites and send them with the customer’s order.

When the glow in the dark nail polishand crackle nail polish was
completely new, there were numerous customers who asked about how the products
worked. First I made product guides and put them on the product sites but there
were still a lot of customer who just could not figure out how to use them. So
I improved the guides and began to send them with the orders. The customers are
really happy about that.

Write a message

The customers love to get a short personal message
from the web shop with her order. It might save a bad day and she will feel
appreciated.

Write blog posts, make videos, know your product

For example if your products durability depends on how
the customer uses the products, it would be a good idea to write a guided to-do
list. As an example you can see my blog post about how you get nail polish to last longer or how to care for your nails, there is also a video tutorial for
the last one. To make these it is incredibly important that you know your
product. Your business image depends on it.

Customer convenience

How does the customer prefer to contact your company
and what is possible? If your company is small it might be hard to be on a lot
of platforms. X2Nails uses telephone, text, mail and chat support.

If one customer have it easier by contacting you
on facebook or Instagram, then do it.

Returns

Is it easy for your customer
to return her purchased products? Although X2Nails rarely gets any returns,
there are a lot of customers who checks out their return rights before they place an order. Make it as easy as possible. It is especially important if it is a gift. There has to be a minimum of two links on each site and it should be
completely clear how many days the customer has to make a return. The return site is easy to understand and the return form is clear and easy to understand.

In stock / sold out

Is the product in stock? The customer hates, when she
needs the product and have to wait for the web shop to get the product back in
stock. It is one of those things that makes the customer very annoyed. She will
most likely cancel the order and she will defiantly never come back.
Is it a product that is very popular and you have not been fast enough to order
a new batch, it is a good idea to let the product be active and write “Out of
stock, available again in 14 days.”
It is incredibly important that your stock system is up-to-date with your
inventory. If it says on the product site that the product is in stock, your
customer expects to receive it within a few days.

Flexible shipping

Make sure that the shipping price is as clear as
possible. This includes price, shipping time and shipping method. At X2Nails we
have eight different shipping methods.The
customer can choose whatever method she thinks is best for her. The customers
are very different and they want as much customizing as possible.

No hidden charges

Alright, so your customer is on the payment site and
is filling out her information, where she sees that she has to pay extra credit
card charges. It is small a charge, typically between 0.5 DKK and 10 DKK. Do
you know what most of you customers chooses to do? They leave the site and finds another web shop.Many customers also experience that they are putting
products in their baskets, but there are no shipping costs showing. The thing
is that your customer automatically will think that the shipping is free. She
will get to the payment site and there she will see that she has to pay 50 DKK
extra for shipping. Guess what she does.

Delivery time

Make sure that the delivery time is as clear as
possible. That way your customer will know when she will receive her order. If
your web shop has flexible shipping, it is extra important that your customer exactly
knows what her choice means for the delivery time.

Vacation

If you have a small web shop and you choose to ”close”
it for a week for vacation, it is very important that you write it clearly on
all sites, that the web shop is closed and all orders will be sent on date xx of xx.
It is also a very good idea to be reachable, even if you are on vacation.

Admit mistakes

Have your web shop made a mistake then it is a great
idea to admit the mistake and apologize as soon as possible. Right after the
apology, you should give the customer two or three reasonable proposals. Always
remember that is was your web shops fault. The customer will out of
pity typically choose the best solution for both parties.

Constant

improvement

The improvement of
customer service must be constant. It can always be better,
especially in a time when everything is getting more advanced so fast. The time
changes and your customers change.

It does not matter if the company is big or small the
customer service needs to be at its best.

I hope you can use if not all then some of it to
improve your customer service. :)

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.

I am just a person, like you.
I am trying to do something, like you.
I am preparing for my next journey.
I am here to share some of my current journey.

Currently, getting my master’s degree in Social Science Law (mercantile) and studying Islamic Studies, including Arabic.
I am working for an IT firm and freelancing as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer.

I established my first company (online shop) in 2013 and sold it in 2017.

Speeches have been done by me, but since I like to write more, I have put my focus on this. - I do share parts of the things I do and give advice here and on my Instagram (@HafsaFarooqX2).

With other mentors, I helped 10 teenage boys establish their own micro company named; Same Inside and Different Outside.